54. Cracking The Case
Heidi didn’t waste time sitting there and admiring the view. Carefully, she rose to her feet and tiptoed out of the place.
She located a staircase right in front of the large doors, then increased her speed and hurried down.
Heidi didn’t meet anyone on the way, fortunately. From the time she left the building to the time she approached the fenced gates, there was no one in sight.
Coming out of the Villa, Heidi stepped into a deserted wide land with dried trees and sand. As she looked ahead, the trees spread far and vast, and there wasn’t any sign of the city.
Where did those people bring her?
Heidi couldn’t help but shudder inside, standing alone in this strange area.
Yet, it was better than being back in that place, not actually knowing what was her fate.
As she took to her heels, following a narrow path, the crushing sound of leaves and the sound of heavy footsteps came from behind her.
“Stop right there.”
Heidi’s hair stood on end. On turning around, she came face to face with one of those masked men. Lucas dialed Blake Harrison’s number again, but it still went to voicemail.
His expression frosted all over, his hard grip on the phone tightening.
He only gave them until the morning. Not only was it morning already, but the afternoon sun was also about to come out.
Since they didn’t listen to his words, he would be left with no other choice…
Facing the private detective sitting in front of him, he stated, “Blake Harrison and his wife. They are the top suspects.”
The detective’s eyes widened a bit, seemingly shocked. “Mr. Harrison, may I ask a few questions?”
“Go ahead.”
“The missing lady must have interacted with other people too, and probably offended them. Why did you conclude that it must be Blake Harrison’s doing?”
Lucas gave him a scornful look. “The two surveillances I showed you. Didn’t they ring a bell?”
“Uhm, well…” the detective nodded thoughtfully. “The first surveillance is of that lady being attacked by some masked men. And the second surveillance is of her being taken away by some masked men who looked similar to them.”
However, this matter was a hot potato.
The detective wanted to be cautious in order not to offend either party.
“So. The first men took the jewelry from her which later ended up in Stella’s hands. Not only that, she used voice cloning to deceive her. Then the second set of men took her away just after the jewelry thief was exposed.”
“Mr. Harrison.” The detective wiped his sweat. “It must be that those men are not the same people. Don’t all criminals wear a mask?”
“Is this the last evidence you need?” Lucas pushed an emblem on the table. ” On the uniform of each bodyguard of the Harrison Mansion, there’s this same emblem embedded in the front pocket. They worked hard to cover their faces, but not hard enough to conceal their identities.”
The emblem was very small, and one had to look carefully in order to detect it.
The detective took the tablet in front of him and zoomed in on both surveillance footage.
On careful scrutiny, the truth was right before him.
“In this kind of situation, it is either the criminal kills the victim or makes them disappear. So the better option is to involve the authorities, Mr. Harrison,” he explained.
“I just want to know where they might be hiding her. If I want to involve the authorities, you don’t have to tell me.”
The detective nodded in understanding, clearly aware of the complications of involving the authorities.
“If I’m correct. Blake Harrison has properties on the east and north sides of the city. The likely place for him to keep a captive without arousing people’s suspicion is one of his properties,” the detective said.
“And among the properties, he will likely keep a captive in a place where there are not many houses, right?” Lucas added.
“You are right, Mr. Harrison.” The detective nodded. “Even if there are houses there, they must either be empty or dilapidated buildings, to avoid raising the nearby residents’ suspicion.”
“And the house which possesses such qualities is most likely to be located in the city’s outskirts,” Lucas said.
The detective snapped his fingers. “The north of Phoenix City is directly connected to another city. And the east leads to a wide forest.”
“Therefore, Dad has Heidi in one of his properties located in the east. And among those properties, it should be the furthest one from the city, definitely very close to the forest.”
With that said, Lucas stood up and left the café in a hurry.
The detective scratched his head, wondering what was actually his job. Obviously, Lucas Harrison had cracked the case with little to no effort from him.
